After completing your Understanding How Ashoka's Edicts Helped Unify India sheet answer the following comprehension questions:
1. What are the main ideas expressed in Ashoka's edicts? The main ideas were Buddhist values, security, justice, and general welfare.
2. What are some of the ways in which Ashoka's leadership promoted unity in India? He wanted people in his land to believe in same ideas, so he posted different edicts all around.
3. In what ways did Ashoka's Buddhist beliefs contribute to the unification of India? He made people believe in one single religion.
4. In addition to the edicts, what else might have contributed to the unification of India during this time period? Police and inspectors might have helped.
5. Explain how one of the edicts you examined could be catagorized another way
(i.e. instead of Buddhist Values it could also concern Justice) The one about dead sentence and having 3 days to fast and meditate might be both justice and buddhist values.
Use the website above and what you have learned in class so far to answer these questions about the early Indus River Governments.
1. Why would having a central government help in planning and organizing a city? Because the central government help the lay out of the city that was so much the same between all of the cities.
2. Who were Rajahs? Rajahs which were the rulers of the cities. 3. What is a Guru? Guru (which was a type of teacher) would live with his student until the student was twenty
4. What subjects were taught in school? All the subjects were of a religious nature. 5. Who was in charge of the government? The Indus priests were in charge of the government.
6. Why did people look up to the priests? This is because they were the highest people, when it came to social levels, and because they were the one's who made offerings to the gods.
Assignment 4-4
Answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page. 1. What varna were you in during the caste system simulation?
A:I was one of the Brahmins, which are like scholars and priests. This varna is the highest one in the cast system.
2. What was your favorite part about the caste system simulation? Why?
A:Since I was the highest cast, everyone was below me. Therefore, I could make anyone, even the law makers and warriors, serve me and order them around like my slaves. I think that was the best part of being a Brahmin, having the power and being able to use that power freely on others.
3. What part of the simulation made you angry, upset, or frustrated? Why?
A: Well, I think the laborers were treated to harshly, even though I was one of those people, who were treating them like slaves. That was little frustrating and I felt pity for them because serving people was their dharma. So to get good karma, they had to obey the cast system and be happy about their situation.
4. Do you think this system is fair? Why or why not?
A: I think this cast system is very unfair because there is such a huge difference between the varnas and you couldn't change your varna for the entire life time, which means that laborers always have to be labors until they die. Plus, the laborers were doing most of the hard works and as a Brahmin, I wasn't doing anything hard or tiring. From the outside, everybody's varna might sound fair, but after the simulation, I could feel the unfairness of this cast system.
5. Do you think a society should organize people into social classes? Why or Why not?
A:No, is my answer. Why do you think this system is abolished now? It means that this system is inappropriate for our society. Everyone should have equal chances in life and this cast system is limiting the chances for people in lower cast.
Assignment 4-3 Source:
external image pdf.png
Archeologists Ideas Mohenjo-Daro.pdf
Think about the activity we did in class as archeologists in Mohenjo-Daro. Using the source above, your ideas, and the notes you took about archeologists ideas, answer the following questions clearly and completely on your wiki page. Each answer should be at least two sentences long with specific information.
1. What have you learned about daily life in Mohenjo-Daro from this activity?
A: I learned that people in this society had different jobs, like merchant, sculptor, farmer and scribes. Merchant can be known by the different weighing rocks and a scale. Sculptor can be known by the sculpture of the man. Farmer is obvious because there was a sculpture of a cart with some oxen, which looked like something that farmers rode to farm and carry crops, also the evidence of granary. Scribes can be known by the writings in the seals.
2. Which characteristics of civilization do you see represented in the artifacts you looked at? Explain.
A: The one that I saw the most was the specialization in labor. Some of the artifacts that I saw were like, bead necklaces and statues. Well, who made all these artifacts? Probably, there might be a jewelry maker, or a sculptor who make these for living. People don't just hunt or farm for living, they have varieties in jobs, which indicates specialization in labor.
3. In what ways do you think Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city?
A: The main point I want to say is, that Mohenjo-Daro had a very advanced technology. One example is the sewer system. The sewer system in Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city. Other great ancient civilizations mostly had no proper sewers system, or had a system, but wasn't as developed as the one in Mohenjo-Daro. This sewer system made every people in Mohenjo-Daro own a bathroom in their house. This might not sound that important, but other civilizations took hundreds of years to get a system, as close as the one in Mohenjo-Daro.
4. Why do you think it is difficult for us to know exactly what life was like in ancient civilizations like those in the Indus-Sarasvati region?
A: Well, this site, Indus-Sarasvati region is probably not fully dug up, since archeologists usually leave that site after they find some thing that can worth them a fortune or fame. So my guess is, I think we're still digging things at that region. Plus this is an old civilization, so things are covered up by huge amount of dirts, so it'll be hard to find things.
5. What do you think might have contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro?
A: Change in the climate probably contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro. There are remains of dried up rivers in the Indus-Sarasvati region. So there must have been a huge change in the climate, which made the land of Mohenjo-Daro unsuitable for people, probably turned into desert. Assignment 4-2 Website: Indus Valley
Use the website above to answer these questions. Write your answers in complete sentences with clear details on your wiki page.
1. What was discovered during the excavations of Mohenjo-Daro?
A: During the excavations of Mohenjo-Daro, a lot of different structures were found, such as the citadel, and the Lower town, which had many buildings and roads.
2. How is Mohenjo-Daro similar to our cities today?
A: Buildings in Mohenjo-Daro was made of bricks, and these bricks were made in a same way as the bricks that we use these days. Not only that, the houses in Mohenjo-Daro mostly had drains to let out dirty water, like our house today. Lastly, the drains had covers, like our drain.
3. What can we learn from archaeological discoveries (such as artifacts and city construction) in Mohenjo-Daro?
A: People in Mohenjo-Daro had a pretty advanced culture and technology. Everyone had their own jobs, indicating specialization of labor.
4. Give clear and specific information about how people lived in Mohenjo-Daro. In your answer, you have to talk about the artifacts that you discovered and put into the museum.
A: People in Mohenjo-Daro had different jobs and enjoyed an advanced luxurious lifestyle. Plus, they were pretty smart. Necklaces were found in the site, which means that there were craftworkers who made these and probably had a rich woman who would buy these necklaces, which are made of expensive and rare gold. The Indus people also had seals, which were used to make an impression on wet clay. Different animals were drawn in these seals and Indus writings were written on the top. Also a model cart was found, which means that there were farmers who rode carts and have domesticated animals to pull the cart. Also weights were used by traders and merchants to measure goods. Lastly, some statues were found, and these statues show how some people in Mohenjo-Daro looked like and dressed like.
5. What do we know about the Priest-King?
A: The Priest-King statue was first found in Lower town at Mohenjo-Daro in 1927. The archeologists thought that the statue was a ruler that may have been an important man or priest.Some archeologist think that the statue's face was broken in purpose.
6. What was the Great Bath and how was it used?
A: The Great bath was a huge public bath that people in Mohenjo-Daro went to. It has few dressing rooms around the pool and the floor of the pool is known to be water proof. The archeologists thought that the Great Bath was used for hygienic purposes and religious rituals.
Directions: Look at the map above, read the text below, and answer the following questions on your wiki page:
In the 1990's, satellite pictures revealed an ancient, dried riverbed located in India's present-day Thar Desert. Geologists have identified this riverbed as the route of the ancient Sarasvati River. The Sarasvati lay east of the Indus River and generally followed the same course, originating in the Himalaya mountains and emptying into the Arabian Sea. Geologists believe that the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati evolved into the dry, hot desert that exists today.
Early Indian agricultural settlements arose in the Indus-Sarasvati river region at least as far back as 6500 B.C.E. Like many other ancient peoples, the early Indians settled by rivers. They settled primarily on the banks of the Sarasvati River as well as along the banks of the Indus River. These rivers provided the ancient Indians with plenty of water, and the land near the rivers was fertile and excellent for growing crops. The rivers also provided the Indians with a convenient way to travel and trade among themselves and with other civilizations. Archeologists have found artifacts from the Indus-Sarasvati civilization - such as carved seals - in Mesopotamia's Sumer. These discoveries have led scholars to believe that the early Indians traded with Mesopotamia, possibly by traveling in ships down the Indus and Sarasvati rivers to the Arabian Sea and then west to Sumer and other locations.
After the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E., the Indus-Sarasvati Indians moved to more habitable areas, such as the fertile banks of the Ganga river further east. Archeological evidence shows, however, that people settled by the Ganga River as far back as 5000 B.C.E.
Questions:
1. In what ways is your map similar to the one that you see in the map above?
A: Most regions like Deccan Plateau, and Himalaya mountains are all same. The rivers and huge body of waters are all same, except for the dried up Sarasvati river.
2. What physiographic features can you identify on this map that are not on your map?
A: First of all, my map doesn't have the remains of the dried up Sarasvati river, plus this map has same rivers, but they are more longer and you can find little rivers on every side.
3. Why do you think settlements developed along the Indus and Sarasvati rivers? Explain with clear and complete details.
A: I think settlements developed along the Indus and Sarasvati rivers because these rivers provided fresh water for people, and brought rich silt, which made the land fertile, making it good for farming. To add on, these rivers provided an efficient, convenient way to travel and trade with others.
4. Accurately draw and label the ancient Sarasvati River on your map.
5. Why did ancient Indian people eventually migrate to the Ganga River?
A: The ancient people migrated to the Ganga River because after the Sarasvati River dried up, people had to move to more habitable areas, like Ganga River bank.
Activity 4-1
ArtistsRenditionMohenjoDaro.jpg
1. What have you learned about daily life in Mohenjo-Daro from this activity?
A: Mohenjo-Daro was a pretty sophisticated city. They had specialization of labor, like merchants and farmers. Not only that, archeologists have found some evidence of highly developed culture, like the Great Bath, seals and different jewelries made of beads. So they were more advanced than what I was think of.
2. Which aspects of daily life do you see represented in the picture that the artist drew?
A: This picture shows specialization of labor. The people in this picture are all doing different things, some of them are riding the oxen and others are transporting some goods by hand, while having a bunch of men with spears in their hands.
3. In what ways do you think Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city?
A: I can say that Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city because they had all the characteristics of the civilization. Plus evidence of flourishing in culture and technology was found everywhere; the interesting sewer system, seals, games and more.
4. Why do you think it is difficult for us to know exactly what life was like in ancient civilizations like those in the Indus-Sarasvati region?
A: I think this is because usually, archeologists don't dig the whole site until they get everything. When they find a new structure or a figure, they stop excavating and start to present and go around the world, talking about what they've found. So one site can't be fully known, since archeologists stop once in a while.
5. What do you think might have contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro?
A:I think it was because of the change in the climate. Mohenjo-Daro existed such a long time ago so climate might have been a little different. For example, there used to be a line of streams and small rivers near Mohenjo-Daro, but those places are all dried up by now. Assignment 3-8= Now that we are finished with the ancient Egypt unit, I would like you to reflect on what you have learned about ancient Egypt. Please complete these sentences clearly and with specific details. Write the answers on your wiki page. If you need reminders of what we did, just scroll through the assignments on this page or look through your notes.
1. The single most important thing I learned was that Egypt was called the gift of Nile. This is a fundamental fact because everything started from tis river, the civilization, culture and more.
2. Something that confused me or that I didn't understand was the complex pedigree of the pharaohs. The whole family tree is very confusing, since the royal descents usually try to marry each other, or people in the upper class. So sometimes the patterns get repeated.
3. What surprised me the most was the fact that the Egyptians knew when the Nile is going to flood. This was interesting because Mesopotamians had a similar flooding situations, but they never realized the flooding pattern. This explains the fact that the Egyptians were very intelligent, and had an advanced knowledge of science and math.
4. I would like to know more about the types of tombs that were built during the different periods of kingdoms. For example, the old kingdom was the only period with pyramids. So I want to explore farther about the authentic and unique tombs of Egyptians.
5. The part that I think I will always remember is the facts about Hatshepsut, because while I was doing my research project, I got a very strong impression of Hatshepsut as a great woman pharaoh.
=----
Assignment 3-5=
Read the information here about the three kingdoms in ancient Egypt. The problem with these three paragraphs is that each paragraph does not have specific details or evidence. Your task is to find specific details and evidence from our textbook for the information presented in each paragraph about each kingdom. Then re-write the paragraph adding the new specific details and evidence you found. Write the new paragraph on your wiki page. Part 1 The Old Kingdom (2700 BCE - 2200 BCE)
Specific details and evidence about this kingdom can be found on pages 98-100 in our textbook.
Your specific details and evidence should give more information about...
Pyramids (definition, examples, construction details)
Workers
Importance of the pyramids
Pharaohs had absolute power and were considered gods on earth. But that's not why this kingdom is nicknamed "The Pyramid Age". Pharaohs were buried in pyramids only during this time period in history. The pyramids were huge stone tombs with 4 triangular sides that met in a point on top. The pyramid was important to the pharaoh. Pointing at the sky, the pyramid symbolized the pharaoh's journey to the afterlife. The Egyptians built the Egypt to look spectacular because they thought the pharaoh, as their link to the gods, controlled everyone's afterlife. To ensure the pharaoh remained safe after their deaths, Egyptians sometimes wrote hymns and magical spells on the pharaoh's tomb. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, near the town of Giza was the largest pyramid to be built. Large blocks of limestone were cut with copper and stone and shipped to the building site by boats. Workers dragged the stones on wooden sleds to the pyramid. The blocks of stone were dragged towards the top of the pyramid by ramps made with rubble. Pyramids did not always have smooth sides. The smooth-sided pyramids started to be built around 2700 B.C.E. About 100,000 workers were needed for building a single pyramid. The workers were paid with goods instead of money, and the government kept records of them. After building a few pyramids, at great expense to the state, it occurred to pharaohs that pyramids were rather easy to spot, and thus, much easier to rob than a hidden tomb. Things changed during the middle kingdom.
Part 2 The Middle Kingdom (2100 BCE - 1800 BCE)
Specific details and evidence about this kingdom can be found on pages 101-102 in our textbook.
Your specific details and evidence should give more information about...
the difference with the Old Kingdom
what life was like during this time
wars or battles and who was involved
At the end of the Old Kingdom, the pharaohs had lost their wealth and power. By 2200 B.C.E., the kingdom had fallen and for the next 160 years, local nobles ruled much of Egypt. That all changed at around 2050 B.C.E. when a powerful pharaoh defeated his rivals and all of Egypt was united. It began the Middle Kingdom, but it ended at about 1750 B.C.E. The Hyksos (A group from Southwest Asia) invaded Egypt around 1750 B.C.E. They used horses, chariots, and advanced weapons to conquer Lower Egypt. They ruled as pharaohs for 200 years. In the mid-1500s B.C.E., Ahmose of Thebes declared himself as king of Egypt and drove the Hyksos out of Egypt. Then Ahmose ruled all of Egypt. During the time period of the middle kingdom, pharaohs were expected to be good kings and wise rulers. Trade flourished, arts and literature flourished. Egypt built strong armies to defend herself against her neighbors. And pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs, all over the place. Most probably, there are tombs yet to be discovered because they were hidden so well. The middle kingdom was Egypt's Golden Age.
Part 3 The New Kingdom (1500 BCE - 1000 BCE)
Specific details and evidence about this kingdom can be found on pages 101-102 in our textbook.
Your specific details and evidence should give more information about...
the causes of the growth of trade
what life was like in an empire
wars or battles (invasions) and who was involved
The new kingdom was Egypt's expansion period, the golden age. Even though there were invasions, Egypt was able to keep their place. Ramses II battled the Hittites(a group from Asia Minor), in 1200 B.C.E. Both could not defeat other. The Tehenu invaded the Nile Delta but Ramses II fought them off. Egypt expanded her borders through military conquest and became a world power. Military conquest brought Egyptian traders contact from more far-away lands. This was the beginning of development of the trade industry. Under the rule of Queen Hatshepsut, trade increased and the Egyptians started to trade with the kingdom of Punt, Africa and with the people of Asia Minor and Greece. Egypt got precious goods, which was hard to find in Egypt and usually for decorations and accessories. While getting new good, Egyptians gained a lot of money by selling their unique products too. The money from the trade was used to support art and architecture. During the time period of the new kingdom, pharaohs were all powerful, and pharaohs were all buried in the same geographic area called the Valley of the Kings.
Assignment 3-4 Part 1:Go to thissiteand read about the different Egyptian gods andgoddesses. Choose one of these that you would like to be and explain why you would like to be that god orgoddess. Then choose one that you would not want to be and explain why. Make sure your explanations aremiddle school quality explanations.
I would like to be the Sun God Ra. He is known as the most important god in Egypt, probably because the Sun is considered very sacred in Egypt. He is also the father of the other gods and goddesses. One of the forms of Ra is Aten. However, Ra is not the most powerful god, but when Ra gets combined with the other gods or goddesses, he can be the strongest. As you see, I want to be the sunshine! Brightness! The king!
I wouldn't like to be the Anubis because he is a god of embalming and the dead. He has a jackal head, which I don't like because it's an animal head. I really want to look like a normal human. Also I don't want to treat the dead and being this god means that I'll have to be in to darkness, the dark side of the world, which doesn't fit for me. I want to be the sunshine! Brightness! The king!
Part 2:Compare these Egyptian gods and goddesses with theMesopotamian gods and goddesses. Did you find similar gods? Name the gods/goddesses and clearly explain the similarities? Why do you think they are similar even though Egypt and the Mesopotamian civilizations were different?
There were barely any similarities. They all had different name, looks and powers. They were all unique in different ways. Still, if I have to look for the similarity, I'll say this. Ra and Shamash is both the Sun god, also Hathor and Ishtar is both the goddesses of love. However, even though they rule the same thing, they have little differences if you do deeply into it. For example, Ishtar is not only the goddess of love, she's also the goddess of war, but Hathor is known to be a protective goddess. See even though those two goddesses sound alike, they are very different in the inside. I think the gods were similar because the two civilization were located close. Plus, most civilizations had similar factors.
Assignment 3-3Source:How to Mummify Nefermaat Directions: Go to the link above to mummify a body. As you work to mummify the body, answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
What are amulets and how were they used? Give two examples of amulets that were used and explain why they were used.
What happens to the body after it was mummified?
The Egyptians believed that the body of the deceased needed to be preserved so that the soul could recognize it after death.
The process of preservation is called the 'Mummification'. This process was achieved through several elaborate stages of drying out the body and wrapping it in protective bandages the ancient Egyptians were able to preserve their dead for eternity.
The ancient Egyptians removed the brain by taking a metal hook and sticking it up through the nose a number of times to break the brain into pieces. Then, they pulled the pieces out though the nose. The ancient Egyptians removed the brain because they did not regard it as being very important.
The four internal organs that were removed from the dead body were the intestines, stomach, liver and the lungs. These organs are put into the canopic jars and will go in the tomb with the dead body.
The ancient Egyptians didn't remove the heart because they believed that the heart was the center of intelligence, emotions and feelings, so the soul will need it later.
Natron is a salt that absorbs moisture. This material was used by ancient Egyptians to drain the moisture of the dead body. Natron comes from the Wadi El Natrun.
Linen was used during the mummification to plump the dead body and to wrap the body.
The amulets were like charms and they were placed above the first layer of linen. The Udjat is shaped like the eye of the falcon-god Horus and this amulet represented for good health. The Heart Amulet was an amulet in the shape of a heart, placed on the mummy to protect its heart in the afterlife.
It's put into the mummy case, then the sarcophagus and the 'Eyes of Horus' is painted on the side of the coffin, which will allow the dead one to magically see through the coffin wall for all eternity.
Source: Pages 93 & 94 in your online textbook and refer to your river boat tour notes Directions: Answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
1. Read the If YOU were there section. How do you feel about working for the pharaoh?
Well, pharaoh has the same value as the god so I'll feel happy to work for the pharaoh.
2. Eventually the Third Dynasty began in ancient Egypt. The Third Dynasty was the beginning of what historians call ............. . When did it start and end?
The Third Dynasty was the beginning of what historians call the Old Kingdom. The Old Kingdom started from about 2700 BCE and ended at 2200 BCE.
3. Explain how ancient Egyptians felt about their country and their pharaoh.
Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, was both a king and a god. The ancient Egyptians believed that Egypt belonged to the gods. They believed that the pharaoh had come to earth in order to manage Egypt for the rest of the gods. As a result, he had absolute power over all land and people in Egypt.
4. What were the responsibilities of the pharaoh?
Pharaoh’s status as both king and god came with many responsibilities. People blamed him if crops did not grow well or if disease struck. They also demanded that the pharaoh make trade profitable and prevent wars.
5. What is best known about the famous pharaoh, Khufu? Can you name a specific monument built for him?
He is famous for building the largest pyramid, the Pyramid of Kufu.
6.a Clearly explain the structure of society in the Old Kingdom. (Note: This should be a long answer.) At the top of Egyptian society was the pharaoh. Just below him were the upper classes, which included priests and key government officials. Many of these priests and officials were nobles, or people from rich and powerful families. Next in society was the middle class. It included lesser government officials, scribes, and a few rich craftspeople. The people in Egypt’s lower class, more than 80 percent of the population, were mostly farmers, servants and slaves.
6.b. What may be some advantages and disadvantages of such a large segment of the population being farmers, servants, and slaves?
Advantages are, there are more people who can work for the pharaoh. The disadvantages are, when those group get together,
6.c. What did farmers do during flood season?
They worked for the pharaoh, like the construction of buildings.
7. Clearly explain trading in ancient Egypt (what was traded and who they traded with).
Egypt traded with neighboring countries. They traded gold, copper, ivory, slaves, and stone.
8. Define the word acquire. Use acquire in an original sentence.
Acquire means to buy or obtain for oneself. I acquired new macbook for myself.
9. Using the drawing of Egyptian society on page 94, explain where Viziers would be placed?
Right after the pharaoh.
Assignment 3-1
Sources:
Carefully read your online textbook pages 88 and 89.(Note: Make sure you scroll down on page 89 to see more information.)
Use the map above, the maps in the Egypt Resources wiki page, or your Scribble Map search function
Directions:
Your task is to label a map of the Nile River and ancient Egypt on your current Scribble Map. You must mark, label, or represent famous sites, cities, and other objects. Label everything carefully. (Note: Mark means use a marker, label means use a text label, represent means draw a symbol to show the item.)
You must also provide an image and a description for some of the labels. Each description must be at least three sentences long and must be clear, detailed, and specific. Your description should give us clear information to help us understand the item or place and why it was so important for ancient Egyptians.
1. Represent and label the Nile’s Sixth Cataract to the First Cataract.
2. Label the Red Sea.
3. Represent three mines and three quarries. Provide an image and a description for each mine and quarry.
4. Represent and label these historic sites: the Valley of the Kings, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Sphinx, Abu Simbel, the Pharos (lighthouse in the port of Alexandria), the Bahriya Oasis and the Farafra oasis (include palm trees). Provide an image and a description for each historic site.
5. Mark these cities: Abydos, Thebes, Giza, Hermopolis, Memphis, Bubastis, Rosetta, Alexandria, Meroe, Khartoum, and Elephantine
6. Label these geographical features: the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert, the Nile Delta (include animals found here), the Sinai Peninsula, the Wadi el-Natrun, the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Suez, the Nubian Desert. Include animals of the desert.Provide an image and a description for each geographical feature.
---- Assignment 2-8 Source: Read pages 76 and 77 in your online textbook Directions: Review Pages 76-77 and choose one of the groups below. Research the group you have chosen (two links are provided for each already) and complete The Characteristics of Civilization Chart for the civilization you have chosen. Write clear and detailed answers in the chart, on your wiki page.
Characteristics of Civilization
Civilization Name: Assyrians
Six Characteristics of Civilization
Evidence for Characteristic
Explanation
1. A system of government that directs and controls some actions of the members of the society.
"By 1115 BC, under their king Tiglath-pileser I, they were able to expand south into Babylonia again, and west."
The king Tiglath-Pilser I, once ruled over almost all of Mesopotamia.
2. A regular food supply that is not likely to suddenly change
"The Assyrian kings now built highways and bridges and water systems..."
By mentioning the water system, Assyria probably had a regular supply of crops because water system is one of the most important things that you need, to be able to create a stable food supply.
3. Specialization of labor, in which members of the society perform different jobs.
"The Assyrian army, which was feared everywhere."
Assyria had an organized army, which can be counted as a specialization of labor.
4. Different social levels, in which some members of the society are given higher status than others.
"Along the way the soldiers collected whatever took their fancy: cloth,gold, artwork, or slaves."
The sentence explains the fact that the Assyrians had slaves, creating a social level difference between the nobles, commons and the slaves.
5. A highly developed culture including art, architecture, music, literature, science, and writing.
"...established courts to settle disputes among their subjects, and encouraged scholarship and art with great libraries at their palaces."
This sentence mentions how Assyrian king had great libraries in the palace and how they practice art and scholarship. This shows highly developed culture.(art and literature)
6. A religious system, which might include priests and temples.
"...being more careful to respect the ancient gods there this time"
Assyrians believed in Ancient Gods and you can recognize the fact that they respected their gods in the sentence.
Was it difficult to find evidence for the culture you picked? Why or why not?
This culture was difficult to work with because I couldn't get enough informations from the links.
Source: Read pages 74 and 75 in your online textbook Directions: Read the questions/directions carefully and write clear and detailed answers on your wiki page.
1. Read the "If you were there..." section on page 74. How will you advise the King?
The nobles should be treated more harshly because they should know better than the common people since they're more educated and in a higher position.
2. What happened to Ur by 2000 BCE?
Foreign attacks weakened Ur and by 2000 BCE Ur lay in ruins.
3. Where was Babylon located?
The city was located on the Euphrates River, near what is today Baghdad.
4. Who became the king of Babylon? When did he become king?
Hammurabi became the king in 1792 BC
5. What is a monarch?
Monarch is a ruler of a kingdom or an empire.
6. After conquering all of Mesopotamia, what did Hammurabi call his empire?
Babylon Empire.
7. Hammurabi was a great warrior and leader. What other skills did he have?
He made the first written law in the world.
8. What is Hammurabi's Code? What areas of daily life did the code cover?
Hammurabi's Code was a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life. There were laws on everything from trade, loans, and theft to marriage, injury, and murder. It contained some ideas that are still found in laws today. Specific crimes brought specific penalties. However, social class did matter. For instance, injuring a rich man brought a greater penalty than injuring a poor man. 9. Give two reasons why Hammurabi's Code was important.
1. Everyone could read the code. 2. The people knew how they're going to be punished. 10. What eventually happened to the Babylonian Empire? How is this similar to what happened to the Akkadian Empire?
Both Empire faced it's end soon after the great kings death.
11. Read the different laws in the Code of Hammurabi on this site and choose three that you think are interesting. Copy the three laws and theirnumbers onto your page. Then for each law, explain why you think it's interesting. You can write about if you disagree or agree with the law or if you think the law is a good law or a cruel law.
196. If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
I think putting out the eyeball is bit too dramatic. Still I think this law is very fair because this law is treating everyone fairly by taking eyeballs.
199. If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
I chose this law because I want to compare this law with law 196. This law is unfair because you're not treating the slave equally as others.
282. If a slave say to his master: "You are not my master," if they convict him his master shall cut off his ear.
I chose this law because I wanted to discuss more about slaves. In this law, slaves are again, treated unfairly. I think this whole law is being unfair to the slaves.
Assignment 2-6
After playing the Trader's Circuit, answer the following questions in complete sentences on your page. You can copy and paste these questions into your page. Then copy and paste your questions and answers onto your discussion tab. Then go to the discussion tabs of at least three other classmates and make good quality middle school comments about your classmates answers to the questions about the Trader's Circuit game. You can make comments to your classmates like if you agree or disagree or comments about how good their answers and ideas are. Trader's Circuit questions 1. What part of the game did you like the best? Why? 2. During the game, how did you feel and why did you feel that way? 3. What part of the game was difficult for you? 4. In your opinion, what advantage is there to having a monopoly of an entire product/resource such as dates or jewelry? 5. What part of the game would you change if you played it again? Why? 6. In this game, was it better to cooperate with another player or to be selfish and try to get all the products/resources for yourself? Why?
I wasn't in the game.
Assignment 2-5
Use your online textbook pages 63 & 64 to answer these questions clearly and with details on your wiki page. Make sure to look through the whole page in your textbook and the links for the vocabulary when answering some of the questions.
Where did the Akkadians live?
What was their relationship with the Sumerians like before the 2300s B.C.E.?
Who was Sargon and what did he do?
What did Sargon establish?
Define 'empire'.
Explain two examples why Sargon is considered a great leader.
How long did Sargon rule his empire?
What eventually happened to the Akkadian Empire?
Who eventually became the most powerful civilization in Mesopotamia again?
Using the picture of the City-State of Ur, what can you see in the picture that shows Ur was an advanced city?
They lived just north of Sumer.
Akkadians and the Sumerians lived in peace until 2300 B.C.E .
Sargon was the King of Akkad, a land and northern of Sumer.
He built the world’s first empire after defeating Sumer and northern Mesopotamia.
Empire: land with different territories and peoples under a single rule
He was the first ruler to have a permanent army and Sargon’s soldiers defeated all the city-states of Sumer.
He ruled for more than 50 years.
The empire lasted only a century after Sargon's death. Later rulers could not keep the empire safe from invaders. Hostile tribes from the east raided and captured Akkad.
The Sumerians once again became the most powerful civilization in the region.
You can see the ziggurats and the water irrigation system (canals, reservoirs)
Assignment 2-4
Using The Six Characteristics of a Civilization (see below), answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
1. Is Korea/ the U.S. a civilization according to the six characteristics explained in class? Provide one example from Korea/the U.S. for each characteristic.
Yes, the government of Korea is the blue house, which is the place where president and other politicians are in.
Yes, Korea has many farmers and a stable system so unless there as a huge storm or flood, there won't be any sudden change.
Yes, everyone in Korea has their own special jobs. There are different kinds of job such as, teachers, doctors, lawyers and etc. and these people need each other to create a stable society.
Yes, in Korea, there are wealthier people like CEO of Samsung and Hyundai, while some people are baggers in the subway station.
Yes, Korea has k-pop, unique art and architecture.
Yes, in Korea, there are Buddhist temples like bongeunsa.
2. Does a civilization, in your opinion, need to have all of the characteristics mentioned? Why or why not?
No, everything except for religion because some people in this society don't have religions but they're just living fine.
The Six Characteristics of a Civilization:
1. A system of government that directs and controls some actions of the members of the society.
2. A regular food supply that is not likely to suddenly change.
3. Specialization of labor, in which members of the society perform different jobs.
4. Different social levels, in which some members of the society are given higher status than others.
5. A highly developed culture including art, architecture, music, literature, science, and writing.
6. A religious system, which might include priests and temples.
Assignment 2-3
Please read pages 56-59 from your online textbook and answer these questions clearly and in complete sentences on your wiki page.
1. How did the Fertile Crescent get its name?
2. What was the most important factor in making Mesopotamia's farmland fertile?
3. In what ways did a Division of Labor contribute to the growth of Mesopotamiam civilization?
4. How might running large projects like the maintaining a large and complex irrigation system prepare people for running a government?
1. Fertile Crescent got its name because it had a rich, or fertile farmland and it's shaped like a crescent.
2. The most important factor was the Tigris and Euphrates river, and making the irrigation system.
3. Having people available to work on different jobs meant that society could accomplish more.
4.Large projects, such as constructing buildings and digging irrigation systems, required specialized workers, managers, and organization. To complete these projects, the Mesopotamians needed structure and rules. Structure and rules could be provided by laws and government.
Assignment 2-2
Answer the following questions and define the vocabulary (if any) clearly and with details on your wiki page. Use the links above from the In Class Activity 2-1 called Event C:Building and Maintaining a Complex Irrigation System & Event D: Attacks by Neighboring Communities to help you answer the questions.
Event C: Building and Maintaining a Complex Irrigation System
1. What was the first simple method farmers used to get water to their fields from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers?
2. How did farmers prevent flooding?
3. Over time, carrying buckets of water to the fields was too difficult. Please clearly explain how levees, canals, dams, and reservoirs were used to make life easier for farmers?
4. Which word means an extra supply of something such as food?
5. What could happen if one canal was clogged?
6. How did different villages take care of the complex irrigation system?
1. First, they simply carried water in buckets from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
2. They built up natural earth walls, called levees, to prevent flooding.
3. People first built levees to prevent flooding, and when the land was dry, people made holes in the levees. The river waster then flowed through the holes, down to the farmer's field. Over time, water carved deep paths in the ground. Then, people shaped these paths into canals to control the direction of the water. Dams and reservoirs also helped block and store water at various places along the river.
4. 'Surplus' means an extra supply of something such as food.
5. Since all the canals were connected to each other, one clogged canal could destroy the entire irrigation system.
6. They coorporated and worked together to take care of the irrigation system.
Event D: Attacks by Neighboring Communities 1. How did Mesopotamian villages help each other?
2. How were people, who lived very far apart, connected to each other?
3. What did many villages grow into?
4. What do we call the region in Mesopotamia that had many growing cities and towns? What are the people called that come from this region?
5. How could one city stop the water from reaching another city?
6. Why was it easy to attack other cities on the Mesopotamian plains?
7. What defense plan is best to protect a city?
1. Workers from different villages proably worked together regularly.
2. People who lived several miles apart were connected by the irrigation canals that wound throught the cities.
3. Many villages grew into towns and cities.
4. The region of growing cities and towns was called Sumer, and its people were called Sumerians.
5. Cities located upriver can buiid new canals or block other cities' canals.
6. Mesopotamian plains provided no natural barriers for protection.
7. I think building a canal around your city will be the best solution because water will be your natural barrier and other cities won't be able to invade your city as easily as other cities with no barrier.
Assignment 2-1
Answer the following questions and define the vocabulary (if any) clearly and with details on your wiki page.Use the links above from the Class Activityto help you answer the questions.
Event A: Food Shortage
1. What helped the human population to grow in Mesopotamia?
2. What does cultivate mean?
3. By 5000 B.C.E. what major problem did the farmers in the Zagros hills have?
4. Using the choices in the critical thinking section of the activity, what is the best way to deal with the food shortage? Why?
1. The increased food stupply, sturdier shelters, and improved technology probably allowed the human population in Mesopotamia to grow.
2. Cultivate means to grow things, like crops.
3. By 5000 B.C.E, farmers in the Zagros foothills did not have enough land on which to frow food for the increaseing population.
4. I think the best solution is attacking the neighboring villages, but I don't think we have to steal their food. Why? Here, this is my plan. Since we have a huge number of population, we can first attack the weaker villages with fewer people and get our full strength back from resting and eating. Then, we can create a great, fierce army and we can conquer villages by villages, taking the control. Soon, we'll be ruling over a massive land and huge population of people, so before the conquered people plan a rebellion, we can make a treaty, that does something like this, 'If you give us 25% of your harvested crops each year, we will give you your land back and your freedom.' Then you'll be able to earn food each year, and doing nothing. Event B: Uncontrolled Water Supply
What two major problems did farmers have as they tried to grow their crops on the Mesopotamian river plains?
How did they solve these problems?
Where did the melted snow that caused flooding come from?
1.In spring, irregular floods washed young plants and seedlings away. In summer, the sun baked the land stone-hard and destroyed any existing vegetation.
2. The farmers solved these problem probably by making levees on each side of the river, then making small paths like canal that can be connected to your field. 3. Rains and melted snow from the mountains flowed into the water, causing them the flood across the plain.
Assignment 9
Now that we are finished with the Early Humans unit, I would like you to reflect on what you have learned about Early Humans. Please complete these sentences clearly and with specific details. Write the answers on your wiki page.
1. The single most important thing I learned was that everything started from being able to walk on two feet.
2. Something that confused me or that I didn't understand was how the Era's and the different species are connected.
3. What surprised me the most was that most big events and invention happened in just past few thousand years.
4. I would like to know more about the extinction of the other species(Australopithecus ,Homo habilis, Homo erectus).
5. The part that I think I will always remember was the ancient brain surgery, trepanation. How can I forget poking a hole in a person's head with just a rock. That's crazy! I still can't believe that they did such a thing and still survived.
Assignment 8
Use these two videos about Catal Huyuk to answer these questions clearly and completely on your wiki page.
1. What are three things about daily life in Catal Huyuk that surprised you? Why did they surprise you?
2. What are three things about daily life in Catal Huyuk you knew already from class?
3. Jookie is a 12 year old living in Catal Huyuk. Explain three ways her life is different than yours. (Note: Simply saying you have cell phones and she doesn't is an unacceptable answer.)
1. One thing that surprised me was the ancient brain surgery, trepanation. I don't know how the ancient people thought of the idea of poking a hole in a person's skull and amazingly, trepanation is still used now days, but in a bit more complex way. The second thing that I want to point out is that the people in Catal Huyuk started to care about wealth and power. I was surprised by this fact because their main focus wasn't surviving anymore, they fought for power and wealth, just like people nowadays. My last point is, the advanced architecture. Before I knew about the people in Catal Huyuk, I didn't really think about ancient architecture, but I realized that ancient people have much more sophisticated technology than I thought and they made solid hard buildings for their home out of clay bricks, which was quite amazing.
2. Well, people eventually started to domesticate animals and plants, which was a beginning of agriculture. Since people didn't have to worry about survival anymore, they started to develop special skills like pottery or painting. Then, people started to develop and use more sophisticated technology and eventually developed advanced architecture because they had more time to enrich their skill.
3. My day would be very different from Jookie's. While I'm in school, being educated, Jookie would be helping her mom, gathering plants and learning to survive. We'll also have different ways to have fun. For example, Jookie would usually play with her friends, outdoor exploring things, but me, I chat with friends and decorate my blog. I won't even have to move one step out of my chair. Well, since I don't move a lot compare to Jookie, I won't be as healthy as her because all I do is sit in my desk and go to academies, while Jookie is wandering around the forests and moving constantly.
Vocabulary:
hunter-gatherers- people who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive.
neolithic Era-'new stone' era
paleolithic Era- 'old stone' era
Time lines
Other notes:
Assignment 7
Write 3 good test questions covering any of the topics we have studied so far.
1. Explain why learning to control fire is important.
2. Compare and contrast the life of Paleolithic people and Neolithic people.
3. Why do you think it took so long for people to develop agriculture?
Answer these questions clearly and completely on your wiki page.
1. What was the main difference between life in the Paleolithic period and life in the Neolithic period?
2. How did people's lives change as they began to domesticate plants and animals during the Neolithic period?
3. What are some advantages and disadvantages of the changes in daily life that occurred as a result of the development of agriculture?
1. The main difference is, in the Neolithic period, people started to domesticate animals and plants.
2. People no longer had to wander around searching for food and they could settle down in one place.
3. Advantages are, you have ample supply of food and you could trade with others. Some of the disadvantages are, you had to work hard to harvest and get enough food to last the whole winter.
Assignment 6
Use your online textbook (p. 40 & p. 41) to answer these questions clearly and completely. Please put your answers on your wiki page.
1. Read the paragraph in the Beginnings of Agriculture section on p.40 and answer the question (How could this discovery change your life?).Read The First Farmers and Plants section on p.41 and answer these questions:
2. What is another name for the New Stone Age?
3. What kinds of tools did people make during this time? What do you think they used these tools for?
4. In the textbook it says that people during the Neolithic period could now make fire. Which hominid would this be?
5. When we changed from gathering food to growing food, historians called it the Neolithic Revolution. Why do you think it's called a revolution?
6. What is the definition for the word 'domestication'?
7. Using the map on p.41, which animals were domesticated in Asia?
8. Using the map on p.41, where was corn first domesticated?
9. If you were a farmer, how would your life be different than a hunter and gatherer. Give three ways your life would be different.
1. I think I'll start to gather different kinds of seeds and begin planting them, creating like a small farm. Since I don't have to search for food anymore, I'll settle there and eventually I'll have time to improve my skills and discover new things.
2. Neolithic Era
3. They made saws and drills and probably used them to cut woods and gather foods.
4. Homo Erectus
5. I think it's called revolution because revolution means 'a sudden, complete or marked change in something' and I think learning to grow food was a huge change for the people.
6. The process of changing plants or animals to make them more useful to humans is called domestication.
7. Cattle, sheep, goat, horse were domesticated in Asia.
8. Corn was first domesticated in Central America.
9. If I'm a farmer, I won't have to wander around looking for food and I'll have ample amount of food to eat. Also, if I can, I'll be able to trade with others because I'll have plentiful supply of food left for me to use for trading.
Assignment 5
Read pages 32-34 from your online textbook and answer these questions clearly and in complete sentences on your wiki page.
Why do historians need archaeologists and anthropologists to study prehistory?
What might have been one advantage of walking completely upright?
What kind of tools did people use during the Paleolithic Era?
Design a stone and wood tool you could use to help you with your chores. Describe your tool in a sentence or two.
What is a hunter-gatherer?
In your opinion, what was the most important change brought by the development of language?
Define the boldfaced words above.
They need archaeologists and anthropologists to study prehistory because there is no written history, so we have to rely on the things that archaeologists and anthropologists find.
They had two arms that are left to do more things.
They used tools like spears and hand axes.
My tool will be a thin, curved stone attached to a long wood stick. This will be useful for getting something that you can't reach with your hand.
Hunter-gatherers are people who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive.
Development of language made trading and sharing easily because before, people couldn't communicate so they probably had hard time understanding others.
7.
Prehistory: The time before there was writing
Tools: An object that has been modified to help a person accomplish a task
Paleolithic Era: The first part of the Stone Age; when people first used stone tools
Hunter-gatherer: People who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive.
Assignment 4 Please read pages 29 & 30 from your online textbook and answer these questions clearly and in complete sentences on your wiki page.
1. On which continent were Lucy and other hominids found?
2. What is the scientific name of Lucy?
3. How long ago did Lucy live?
4. What was an important step in human development?
5. Describe and explain how these hominids are different from each other. Use the charts about the hominids on page 30 to help you with the answer.
Make sure your answer is clear and detailed.
Australopithecus
Homo habilis
Homo erectus
Homo sapiens
6. Which hominid are you?
1. Lucy and other hominids were found in the Africa.
2. The scientific name of Lucy is Australopithecus.
3. Lucy live more than 3 million years ago.
4. The important step in human history was being able to walk in two feet.
5.
Australopithecus: The name means 'southern ape'. They walk with two legs.
Homo habilis: The name means 'handy man'. They used early stone tools for chopping and scraping.
Homo erectus: The name means 'upright man'. They learned to control the fire and used hand ax.
Homo sapiens: The name means 'wise man'. They learned to create fire and used wide variety of tools. They also developed language.
6. We are Homo sapiens.
Assignment 3
Human Origins-The Puppet Play ProjectResponse
Answer the following questions on your wiki page.
1. What were your roles in the 'Creation of a Puppet Show' project?
2. What Problems did your group run into?
3. How did your group deal with these problems?
4. Identify two similarities between all of the origin stories.
5. Compare and Contrast any of the two origin stories presented in class (at least one paragraph)
1. I was the script manager.
2. We didn't really had any big problems, but we ran into small problems like while we were getting our puppets ready and when we had to practice acting.
3. We got over with it pretty fast because it wasn't a huge problem or something.
4. First, we were all created by gods or goddesses. Second, they are all myths.
5. The two stories that I'm going to compare and contrast are the Greek origin story and the Chinese origin story. These two origin stories had a lot of differences and similarities. First, I'll start with the similarity. In the greek story, humans were made of clay and also, in the Chinese story, humans were made of clay. Now the difference. In the Chinese story, Noah made all the humans by herself but in the greek story, humans were created by a lot of people.
Assignment 2
Just like the questions you were asked in class, please create five questions about the timeline we used in class.
1. How many events happened between 3000 B.C.E to 2000 C.E?
2. What is the last event on the time line? Give the exact date.
3. Which century had most events?
4. List all the events that happened in the nineteenth century.
5. How many events happened between 20,000 B.C.E to 10,000 B.C.E?
1. 11 events
2. Color TV invented in 1950 C.E
3. The nineteenth century
4. Lightbulb invented in 1879 C.E, Telephone invented in 1876 C.E, Automobile invented in 1893 C.E
5. 4 events
Assignment 1
Using your notes and page 4 from your online textbook, answer the following questions on your wiki page.
1. Were you born in a BCE year or an CE year?
2. Put the following dates in order: AD 2000, 3100 BC, 15 BCE, AD 476, AD 3, CE 1215
3. If you read that an event happened c. AD 1000, what would that mean? Type in the content of your page here.
1. I was born in a CE year.
2. 3100 BC, 15 BCE, AD 3, AD 476, AD 2000, CE 1215
3. It means that it's 'about' AD 1000.
Ramayana PoemAssignment 4-6
After completing your Understanding How Ashoka's Edicts Helped Unify India sheet answer the following comprehension questions:
1. What are the main ideas expressed in Ashoka's edicts? The main ideas were Buddhist values, security, justice, and general welfare.
2. What are some of the ways in which Ashoka's leadership promoted unity in India? He wanted people in his land to believe in same ideas, so he posted different edicts all around.
3. In what ways did Ashoka's Buddhist beliefs contribute to the unification of India? He made people believe in one single religion.
4. In addition to the edicts, what else might have contributed to the unification of India during this time period? Police and inspectors might have helped.
5. Explain how one of the edicts you examined could be catagorized another way
(i.e. instead of Buddhist Values it could also concern Justice) The one about dead sentence and having 3 days to fast and meditate might be both justice and buddhist values.
Assignment 4-5
Website: India-Government
Use the website above and what you have learned in class so far to answer these questions about the early Indus River Governments.
1. Why would having a central government help in planning and organizing a city?
Because the central government help the lay out of the city that was so much the same between all of the cities.
2. Who were Rajahs?
Rajahs which were the rulers of the cities.
3. What is a Guru?
Guru (which was a type of teacher) would live with his student until the student was twenty
4. What subjects were taught in school?
All the subjects were of a religious nature.
5. Who was in charge of the government?
The Indus priests were in charge of the government.
6. Why did people look up to the priests?
This is because they were the highest people, when it came to social levels, and because they were the one's who made offerings to the gods.
Assignment 4-4
Answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
1. What varna were you in during the caste system simulation?
A:I was one of the Brahmins, which are like scholars and priests. This varna is the highest one in the cast system.
2. What was your favorite part about the caste system simulation? Why?
A:Since I was the highest cast, everyone was below me. Therefore, I could make anyone, even the law makers and warriors, serve me and order them around like my slaves. I think that was the best part of being a Brahmin, having the power and being able to use that power freely on others.
3. What part of the simulation made you angry, upset, or frustrated? Why?
A: Well, I think the laborers were treated to harshly, even though I was one of those people, who were treating them like slaves. That was little frustrating and I felt pity for them because serving people was their dharma. So to get good karma, they had to obey the cast system and be happy about their situation.
4. Do you think this system is fair? Why or why not?
A: I think this cast system is very unfair because there is such a huge difference between the varnas and you couldn't change your varna for the entire life time, which means that laborers always have to be labors until they die. Plus, the laborers were doing most of the hard works and as a Brahmin, I wasn't doing anything hard or tiring. From the outside, everybody's varna might sound fair, but after the simulation, I could feel the unfairness of this cast system.
5. Do you think a society should organize people into social classes? Why or Why not?
A:No, is my answer. Why do you think this system is abolished now? It means that this system is inappropriate for our society. Everyone should have equal chances in life and this cast system is limiting the chances for people in lower cast.
Assignment 4-3
Source:
Think about the activity we did in class as archeologists in Mohenjo-Daro. Using the source above, your ideas, and the notes you took about archeologists ideas, answer the following questions clearly and completely on your wiki page. Each answer should be at least two sentences long with specific information.
1. What have you learned about daily life in Mohenjo-Daro from this activity?
A: I learned that people in this society had different jobs, like merchant, sculptor, farmer and scribes. Merchant can be known by the different weighing rocks and a scale. Sculptor can be known by the sculpture of the man. Farmer is obvious because there was a sculpture of a cart with some oxen, which looked like something that farmers rode to farm and carry crops, also the evidence of granary. Scribes can be known by the writings in the seals.
2. Which characteristics of civilization do you see represented in the artifacts you looked at? Explain.
A: The one that I saw the most was the specialization in labor. Some of the artifacts that I saw were like, bead necklaces and statues. Well, who made all these artifacts? Probably, there might be a jewelry maker, or a sculptor who make these for living. People don't just hunt or farm for living, they have varieties in jobs, which indicates specialization in labor.
3. In what ways do you think Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city?
A: The main point I want to say is, that Mohenjo-Daro had a very advanced technology. One example is the sewer system. The sewer system in Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city. Other great ancient civilizations mostly had no proper sewers system, or had a system, but wasn't as developed as the one in Mohenjo-Daro. This sewer system made every people in Mohenjo-Daro own a bathroom in their house. This might not sound that important, but other civilizations took hundreds of years to get a system, as close as the one in Mohenjo-Daro.
4. Why do you think it is difficult for us to know exactly what life was like in ancient civilizations like those in the Indus-Sarasvati region?
A: Well, this site, Indus-Sarasvati region is probably not fully dug up, since archeologists usually leave that site after they find some thing that can worth them a fortune or fame. So my guess is, I think we're still digging things at that region. Plus this is an old civilization, so things are covered up by huge amount of dirts, so it'll be hard to find things.
5. What do you think might have contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro?
A: Change in the climate probably contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro. There are remains of dried up rivers in the Indus-Sarasvati region. So there must have been a huge change in the climate, which made the land of Mohenjo-Daro unsuitable for people, probably turned into desert.
Assignment 4-2
Website: Indus Valley
Use the website above to answer these questions. Write your answers in complete sentences with clear details on your wiki page.
1. What was discovered during the excavations of Mohenjo-Daro?
A: During the excavations of Mohenjo-Daro, a lot of different structures were found, such as the citadel, and the Lower town, which had many buildings and roads.
2. How is Mohenjo-Daro similar to our cities today?
A: Buildings in Mohenjo-Daro was made of bricks, and these bricks were made in a same way as the bricks that we use these days. Not only that, the houses in Mohenjo-Daro mostly had drains to let out dirty water, like our house today. Lastly, the drains had covers, like our drain.
3. What can we learn from archaeological discoveries (such as artifacts and city construction) in Mohenjo-Daro?
A: People in Mohenjo-Daro had a pretty advanced culture and technology. Everyone had their own jobs, indicating specialization of labor.
4. Give clear and specific information about how people lived in Mohenjo-Daro. In your answer, you have to talk about the artifacts that you discovered and put into the museum.
A: People in Mohenjo-Daro had different jobs and enjoyed an advanced luxurious lifestyle. Plus, they were pretty smart. Necklaces were found in the site, which means that there were craftworkers who made these and probably had a rich woman who would buy these necklaces, which are made of expensive and rare gold. The Indus people also had seals, which were used to make an impression on wet clay. Different animals were drawn in these seals and Indus writings were written on the top. Also a model cart was found, which means that there were farmers who rode carts and have domesticated animals to pull the cart. Also weights were used by traders and merchants to measure goods. Lastly, some statues were found, and these statues show how some people in Mohenjo-Daro looked like and dressed like.
5. What do we know about the Priest-King?
A: The Priest-King statue was first found in Lower town at Mohenjo-Daro in 1927. The archeologists thought that the statue was a ruler that may have been an important man or priest.Some archeologist think that the statue's face was broken in purpose.
6. What was the Great Bath and how was it used?
A: The Great bath was a huge public bath that people in Mohenjo-Daro went to. It has few dressing rooms around the pool and the floor of the pool is known to be water proof. The archeologists thought that the Great Bath was used for hygienic purposes and religious rituals.
Assignment 4-1
Source: IndiaSubcontinentMapTrans.jpg
Directions: Look at the map above, read the text below, and answer the following questions on your wiki page:
In the 1990's, satellite pictures revealed an ancient, dried riverbed located in India's present-day Thar Desert. Geologists have identified this riverbed as the route of the ancient Sarasvati River. The Sarasvati lay east of the Indus River and generally followed the same course, originating in the Himalaya mountains and emptying into the Arabian Sea. Geologists believe that the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E. Over time, the once fertile area around the Sarasvati evolved into the dry, hot desert that exists today.
Early Indian agricultural settlements arose in the Indus-Sarasvati river region at least as far back as 6500 B.C.E. Like many other ancient peoples, the early Indians settled by rivers. They settled primarily on the banks of the Sarasvati River as well as along the banks of the Indus River. These rivers provided the ancient Indians with plenty of water, and the land near the rivers was fertile and excellent for growing crops. The rivers also provided the Indians with a convenient way to travel and trade among themselves and with other civilizations. Archeologists have found artifacts from the Indus-Sarasvati civilization - such as carved seals - in Mesopotamia's Sumer. These discoveries have led scholars to believe that the early Indians traded with Mesopotamia, possibly by traveling in ships down the Indus and Sarasvati rivers to the Arabian Sea and then west to Sumer and other locations.
After the Sarasvati River dried up around 1900 B.C.E., the Indus-Sarasvati Indians moved to more habitable areas, such as the fertile banks of the Ganga river further east. Archeological evidence shows, however, that people settled by the Ganga River as far back as 5000 B.C.E.
Questions:
1. In what ways is your map similar to the one that you see in the map above?
A: Most regions like Deccan Plateau, and Himalaya mountains are all same. The rivers and huge body of waters are all same, except for the dried up Sarasvati river.
2. What physiographic features can you identify on this map that are not on your map?
A: First of all, my map doesn't have the remains of the dried up Sarasvati river, plus this map has same rivers, but they are more longer and you can find little rivers on every side.
3. Why do you think settlements developed along the Indus and Sarasvati rivers? Explain with clear and complete details.
A: I think settlements developed along the Indus and Sarasvati rivers because these rivers provided fresh water for people, and brought rich silt, which made the land fertile, making it good for farming. To add on, these rivers provided an efficient, convenient way to travel and trade with others.
4. Accurately draw and label the ancient Sarasvati River on your map.
5. Why did ancient Indian people eventually migrate to the Ganga River?
A: The ancient people migrated to the Ganga River because after the Sarasvati River dried up, people had to move to more habitable areas, like Ganga River bank.
Activity 4-11. What have you learned about daily life in Mohenjo-Daro from this activity?
A: Mohenjo-Daro was a pretty sophisticated city. They had specialization of labor, like merchants and farmers. Not only that, archeologists have found some evidence of highly developed culture, like the Great Bath, seals and different jewelries made of beads. So they were more advanced than what I was think of.
2. Which aspects of daily life do you see represented in the picture that the artist drew?
A: This picture shows specialization of labor. The people in this picture are all doing different things, some of them are riding the oxen and others are transporting some goods by hand, while having a bunch of men with spears in their hands.
3. In what ways do you think Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city?
A: I can say that Mohenjo-Daro was like a modern city because they had all the characteristics of the civilization. Plus evidence of flourishing in culture and technology was found everywhere; the interesting sewer system, seals, games and more.
4. Why do you think it is difficult for us to know exactly what life was like in ancient civilizations like those in the Indus-Sarasvati region?
A: I think this is because usually, archeologists don't dig the whole site until they get everything. When they find a new structure or a figure, they stop excavating and start to present and go around the world, talking about what they've found. So one site can't be fully known, since archeologists stop once in a while.
5. What do you think might have contributed to the decline of Mohenjo-Daro?
A:I think it was because of the change in the climate. Mohenjo-Daro existed such a long time ago so climate might have been a little different. For example, there used to be a line of streams and small rivers near Mohenjo-Daro, but those places are all dried up by now.
Assignment 3-8=
Now that we are finished with the ancient Egypt unit, I would like you to reflect on what you have learned about ancient Egypt. Please complete these sentences clearly and with specific details. Write the answers on your wiki page. If you need reminders of what we did, just scroll through the assignments on this page or look through your notes.
1. The single most important thing I learned was that Egypt was called the gift of Nile. This is a fundamental fact because everything started from tis river, the civilization, culture and more.
2. Something that confused me or that I didn't understand was the complex pedigree of the pharaohs. The whole family tree is very confusing, since the royal descents usually try to marry each other, or people in the upper class. So sometimes the patterns get repeated.
3. What surprised me the most was the fact that the Egyptians knew when the Nile is going to flood. This was interesting because Mesopotamians had a similar flooding situations, but they never realized the flooding pattern. This explains the fact that the Egyptians were very intelligent, and had an advanced knowledge of science and math.
4. I would like to know more about the types of tombs that were built during the different periods of kingdoms. For example, the old kingdom was the only period with pyramids. So I want to explore farther about the authentic and unique tombs of Egyptians.
5. The part that I think I will always remember is the facts about Hatshepsut, because while I was doing my research project, I got a very strong impression of Hatshepsut as a great woman pharaoh.
=----Assignment 3-5=
Read the information here about the three kingdoms in ancient Egypt. The problem with these three paragraphs is that each paragraph does not have specific details or evidence. Your task is to find specific details and evidence from our textbook for the information presented in each paragraph about each kingdom. Then re-write the paragraph adding the new specific details and evidence you found. Write the new paragraph on your wiki page.
Part 1
The Old Kingdom (2700 BCE - 2200 BCE)
Specific details and evidence about this kingdom can be found on pages 98-100 in our textbook.
Your specific details and evidence should give more information about...
Pharaohs had absolute power and were considered gods on earth. But that's not why this kingdom is nicknamed "The Pyramid Age". Pharaohs were buried in pyramids only during this time period in history. The pyramids were huge stone tombs with 4 triangular sides that met in a point on top. The pyramid was important to the pharaoh. Pointing at the sky, the pyramid symbolized the pharaoh's journey to the afterlife. The Egyptians built the Egypt to look spectacular because they thought the pharaoh, as their link to the gods, controlled everyone's afterlife. To ensure the pharaoh remained safe after their deaths, Egyptians sometimes wrote hymns and magical spells on the pharaoh's tomb. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, near the town of Giza was the largest pyramid to be built. Large blocks of limestone were cut with copper and stone and shipped to the building site by boats. Workers dragged the stones on wooden sleds to the pyramid. The blocks of stone were dragged towards the top of the pyramid by ramps made with rubble. Pyramids did not always have smooth sides. The smooth-sided pyramids started to be built around 2700 B.C.E. About 100,000 workers were needed for building a single pyramid. The workers were paid with goods instead of money, and the government kept records of them. After building a few pyramids, at great expense to the state, it occurred to pharaohs that pyramids were rather easy to spot, and thus, much easier to rob than a hidden tomb. Things changed during the middle kingdom.
Part 2
The Middle Kingdom (2100 BCE - 1800 BCE)
Specific details and evidence about this kingdom can be found on pages 101-102 in our textbook.
Your specific details and evidence should give more information about...
At the end of the Old Kingdom, the pharaohs had lost their wealth and power. By 2200 B.C.E., the kingdom had fallen and for the next 160 years, local nobles ruled much of Egypt. That all changed at around 2050 B.C.E. when a powerful pharaoh defeated his rivals and all of Egypt was united. It began the Middle Kingdom, but it ended at about 1750 B.C.E. The Hyksos (A group from Southwest Asia) invaded Egypt around 1750 B.C.E. They used horses, chariots, and advanced weapons to conquer Lower Egypt. They ruled as pharaohs for 200 years. In the mid-1500s B.C.E., Ahmose of Thebes declared himself as king of Egypt and drove the Hyksos out of Egypt. Then Ahmose ruled all of Egypt. During the time period of the middle kingdom, pharaohs were expected to be good kings and wise rulers. Trade flourished, arts and literature flourished. Egypt built strong armies to defend herself against her neighbors. And pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs, all over the place. Most probably, there are tombs yet to be discovered because they were hidden so well. The middle kingdom was Egypt's Golden Age.
Part 3
The New Kingdom (1500 BCE - 1000 BCE)
Specific details and evidence about this kingdom can be found on pages 101-102 in our textbook.
Your specific details and evidence should give more information about...
The new kingdom was Egypt's expansion period, the golden age. Even though there were invasions, Egypt was able to keep their place. Ramses II battled the Hittites(a group from Asia Minor), in 1200 B.C.E. Both could not defeat other. The Tehenu invaded the Nile Delta but Ramses II fought them off. Egypt expanded her borders through military conquest and became a world power. Military conquest brought Egyptian traders contact from more far-away lands. This was the beginning of development of the trade industry. Under the rule of Queen Hatshepsut, trade increased and the Egyptians started to trade with the kingdom of Punt, Africa and with the people of Asia Minor and Greece. Egypt got precious goods, which was hard to find in Egypt and usually for decorations and accessories. While getting new good, Egyptians gained a lot of money by selling their unique products too. The money from the trade was used to support art and architecture. During the time period of the new kingdom, pharaohs were all powerful, and pharaohs were all buried in the same geographic area called the Valley of the Kings.
Assignment 3-4 Part 1: Go to this site and read about the different Egyptian gods and goddesses. Choose one of these that you would like to be and explain why you would like to be that god or goddess. Then choose one that you would not want to be and explain why. Make sure your explanations are middle school quality explanations.
I would like to be the Sun God Ra. He is known as the most important god in Egypt, probably because the Sun is considered very sacred in Egypt. He is also the father of the other gods and goddesses. One of the forms of Ra is Aten. However, Ra is not the most powerful god, but when Ra gets combined with the other gods or goddesses, he can be the strongest. As you see, I want to be the sunshine! Brightness! The king!
I wouldn't like to be the Anubis because he is a god of embalming and the dead. He has a jackal head, which I don't like because it's an animal head. I really want to look like a normal human. Also I don't want to treat the dead and being this god means that I'll have to be in to darkness, the dark side of the world, which doesn't fit for me. I want to be the sunshine! Brightness! The king!
Part 2: Compare these Egyptian gods and goddesses with the Mesopotamian gods and goddesses. Did you find similar gods? Name the gods/goddesses and clearly explain the similarities? Why do you think they are similar even though Egypt and the Mesopotamian civilizations were different?
There were barely any similarities. They all had different name, looks and powers. They were all unique in different ways. Still, if I have to look for the similarity, I'll say this. Ra and Shamash is both the Sun god, also Hathor and Ishtar is both the goddesses of love. However, even though they rule the same thing, they have little differences if you do deeply into it. For example, Ishtar is not only the goddess of love, she's also the goddess of war, but Hathor is known to be a protective goddess. See even though those two goddesses sound alike, they are very different in the inside. I think the gods were similar because the two civilization were located close. Plus, most civilizations had similar factors.
Assignment 3-3 Source: How to Mummify Nefermaat
Directions: Go to the link above to mummify a body. As you work to mummify the body, answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
Activity 3-3
Assignment 3-2
Source: Pages 93 & 94 in your online textbook and refer to your river boat tour notesDirections: Answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
1. Read the If YOU were there section. How do you feel about working for the pharaoh?
Well, pharaoh has the same value as the god so I'll feel happy to work for the pharaoh.
2. Eventually the Third Dynasty began in ancient Egypt. The Third Dynasty was the beginning of what historians call ............. . When did it start and end?
The Third Dynasty was the beginning of what historians call the Old Kingdom. The Old Kingdom started from about 2700 BCE and ended at 2200 BCE.
3. Explain how ancient Egyptians felt about their country and their pharaoh.
Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, was both a king and a god. The ancient Egyptians believed that Egypt belonged to the gods. They believed that the pharaoh had come to earth in order to manage Egypt for the rest of the gods. As a result, he had absolute power over all land and people in Egypt.
4. What were the responsibilities of the pharaoh?
Pharaoh’s status as both king and god came with many responsibilities. People blamed him if crops did not grow well or if disease struck. They also demanded that the pharaoh make trade profitable and prevent wars.
5. What is best known about the famous pharaoh, Khufu? Can you name a specific monument built for him?
He is famous for building the largest pyramid, the Pyramid of Kufu.
6.a Clearly explain the structure of society in the Old Kingdom. (Note: This should be a long answer.)
At the top of Egyptian society was the pharaoh. Just below him were the upper classes, which included priests and key government officials. Many of these priests and officials were nobles, or people from rich and powerful families. Next in society was the middle class. It included lesser government officials, scribes, and a few rich craftspeople. The people in Egypt’s lower class, more than 80 percent of the population, were mostly farmers, servants and slaves.
6.b. What may be some advantages and disadvantages of such a large segment of the population being farmers, servants, and slaves?
Advantages are, there are more people who can work for the pharaoh. The disadvantages are, when those group get together,
6.c. What did farmers do during flood season?
They worked for the pharaoh, like the construction of buildings.
7. Clearly explain trading in ancient Egypt (what was traded and who they traded with).
Egypt traded with neighboring countries. They traded gold, copper, ivory, slaves, and stone.
8. Define the word acquire. Use acquire in an original sentence.
Acquire means to buy or obtain for oneself. I acquired new macbook for myself.
9. Using the drawing of Egyptian society on page 94, explain where Viziers would be placed?
Right after the pharaoh.
Assignment 3-1
Sources:
Directions:
1. Represent and label the Nile’s Sixth Cataract to the First Cataract.
2. Label the Red Sea.
3. Represent three mines and three quarries. Provide an image and a description for each mine and quarry.
4. Represent and label these historic sites: the Valley of the Kings, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Sphinx, Abu Simbel, the Pharos (lighthouse in the port of Alexandria), the Bahriya Oasis and the Farafra oasis (include palm trees). Provide an image and a description for each historic site.
5. Mark these cities: Abydos, Thebes, Giza, Hermopolis, Memphis, Bubastis, Rosetta, Alexandria, Meroe, Khartoum, and Elephantine
6. Label these geographical features: the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert, the Nile Delta (include animals found here), the Sinai Peninsula, the Wadi el-Natrun, the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Suez, the Nubian Desert. Include animals of the desert.Provide an image and a description for each geographical feature.
7. Label Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt
Assignment 2-8
Source: Read pages 76 and 77 in your online textbook
Directions: Review Pages 76-77 and choose one of the groups below. Research the group you have chosen (two links are provided for each already) and complete The Characteristics of Civilization Chart for the civilization you have chosen. Write clear and detailed answers in the chart, on your wiki page.
Characteristics of Civilization
Civilization Name: Assyrians
Six Characteristics of Civilization
Evidence for Characteristic
Explanation
Was it difficult to find evidence for the culture you picked? Why or why not?
This culture was difficult to work with because I couldn't get enough informations from the links.
Assyrians
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/westasia/history/assyrians.htmhttp://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/egypt/a/assyriaintro.htm
Hittites
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MESO/HITTITES.HTMhttp://www.historyforkids.org/learn/westasia/history/hittites.htm
Chaldeans
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/middle_east/nebuchadnezzar.htmlhttp://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/MESO/CHALDEAN.HTM
Assignment 2-7
Source: Read pages 74 and 75 in your online textbookDirections: Read the questions/directions carefully and write clear and detailed answers on your wiki page.
1. Read the "If you were there..." section on page 74. How will you advise the King?
The nobles should be treated more harshly because they should know better than the common people since they're more educated and in a higher position.
2. What happened to Ur by 2000 BCE?
Foreign attacks weakened Ur and by 2000 BCE Ur lay in ruins.
3. Where was Babylon located?
The city was located on the Euphrates River, near what is today Baghdad.
4. Who became the king of Babylon? When did he become king?
Hammurabi became the king in 1792 BC
5. What is a monarch?
Monarch is a ruler of a kingdom or an empire.
6. After conquering all of Mesopotamia, what did Hammurabi call his empire?
Babylon Empire.
7. Hammurabi was a great warrior and leader. What other skills did he have?
He made the first written law in the world.
8. What is Hammurabi's Code? What areas of daily life did the code cover?
Hammurabi's Code was a set of 282 laws that dealt with almost every part of daily life. There were laws on everything from trade, loans, and theft to marriage, injury, and murder. It contained some ideas that are still found in laws today. Specific crimes brought specific penalties. However, social class did matter. For instance, injuring a rich man brought a greater penalty than injuring a poor man.
9. Give two reasons why Hammurabi's Code was important.
1. Everyone could read the code. 2. The people knew how they're going to be punished.
10. What eventually happened to the Babylonian Empire? How is this similar to what happened to the Akkadian Empire?
Both Empire faced it's end soon after the great kings death.
11. Read the different laws in the Code of Hammurabi on this site and choose three that you think are interesting. Copy the three laws and theirnumbers onto your page. Then for each law, explain why you think it's interesting. You can write about if you disagree or agree with the law or if you think the law is a good law or a cruel law.
196. If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
I think putting out the eyeball is bit too dramatic. Still I think this law is very fair because this law is treating everyone fairly by taking eyeballs.
199. If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
I chose this law because I want to compare this law with law 196. This law is unfair because you're not treating the slave equally as others.
282. If a slave say to his master: "You are not my master," if they convict him his master shall cut off his ear.
I chose this law because I wanted to discuss more about slaves. In this law, slaves are again, treated unfairly. I think this whole law is being unfair to the slaves.
Assignment 2-6
After playing the Trader's Circuit, answer the following questions in complete sentences on your page. You can copy and paste these questions into your page. Then copy and paste your questions and answers onto your discussion tab. Then go to the discussion tabs of at least three other classmates and make good quality middle school comments about your classmates answers to the questions about the Trader's Circuit game. You can make comments to your classmates like if you agree or disagree or comments about how good their answers and ideas are.
Trader's Circuit questions
1. What part of the game did you like the best? Why?
2. During the game, how did you feel and why did you feel that way?
3. What part of the game was difficult for you?
4. In your opinion, what advantage is there to having a monopoly of an entire product/resource such as dates or jewelry?
5. What part of the game would you change if you played it again? Why?
6. In this game, was it better to cooperate with another player or to be selfish and try to get all the products/resources for yourself? Why?
I wasn't in the game.
Assignment 2-5
Use your online textbook pages 63 & 64 to answer these questions clearly and with details on your wiki page. Make sure to look through the whole page in your textbook and the links for the vocabulary when answering some of the questions.Assignment 2-4
Using The Six Characteristics of a Civilization (see below), answer the following questions clearly and with details on your wiki page.
1. Is Korea/ the U.S. a civilization according to the six characteristics explained in class? Provide one example from Korea/the U.S. for each characteristic.2. Does a civilization, in your opinion, need to have all of the characteristics mentioned? Why or why not?
No, everything except for religion because some people in this society don't have religions but they're just living fine.
The Six Characteristics of a Civilization:
1. A system of government that directs and controls some actions of the members of the society.
2. A regular food supply that is not likely to suddenly change.
3. Specialization of labor, in which members of the society perform different jobs.
4. Different social levels, in which some members of the society are given higher status than others.
5. A highly developed culture including art, architecture, music, literature, science, and writing.
6. A religious system, which might include priests and temples.
Assignment 2-3
Please read pages 56-59 from your online textbook and answer these questions clearly and in complete sentences on your wiki page.1. How did the Fertile Crescent get its name?
2. What was the most important factor in making Mesopotamia's farmland fertile?
3. In what ways did a Division of Labor contribute to the growth of Mesopotamiam civilization?
4. How might running large projects like the maintaining a large and complex irrigation system prepare people for running a government?
1. Fertile Crescent got its name because it had a rich, or fertile farmland and it's shaped like a crescent.
2. The most important factor was the Tigris and Euphrates river, and making the irrigation system.
3. Having people available to work on different jobs meant that society could accomplish more.
4.Large projects, such as constructing buildings and digging irrigation systems, required specialized workers, managers, and organization. To complete these projects, the Mesopotamians needed structure and rules. Structure and rules could be provided by laws and government.
Assignment 2-2
Answer the following questions and define the vocabulary (if any) clearly and with details on your wiki page. Use the links above from the In Class Activity 2-1 called Event C: Building and Maintaining a Complex Irrigation System & Event D: Attacks by Neighboring Communities to help you answer the questions.
Event C: Building and Maintaining a Complex Irrigation System
1. What was the first simple method farmers used to get water to their fields from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers?
2. How did farmers prevent flooding?
3. Over time, carrying buckets of water to the fields was too difficult. Please clearly explain how levees, canals, dams, and reservoirs were used to make life easier for farmers?
4. Which word means an extra supply of something such as food?
5. What could happen if one canal was clogged?
6. How did different villages take care of the complex irrigation system?
1. First, they simply carried water in buckets from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
2. They built up natural earth walls, called levees, to prevent flooding.
3. People first built levees to prevent flooding, and when the land was dry, people made holes in the levees. The river waster then flowed through the holes, down to the farmer's field. Over time, water carved deep paths in the ground. Then, people shaped these paths into canals to control the direction of the water. Dams and reservoirs also helped block and store water at various places along the river.
4. 'Surplus' means an extra supply of something such as food.
5. Since all the canals were connected to each other, one clogged canal could destroy the entire irrigation system.
6. They coorporated and worked together to take care of the irrigation system.
Event D: Attacks by Neighboring Communities
1. How did Mesopotamian villages help each other?
2. How were people, who lived very far apart, connected to each other?
3. What did many villages grow into?
4. What do we call the region in Mesopotamia that had many growing cities and towns? What are the people called that come from this region?
5. How could one city stop the water from reaching another city?
6. Why was it easy to attack other cities on the Mesopotamian plains?
7. What defense plan is best to protect a city?
1. Workers from different villages proably worked together regularly.
2. People who lived several miles apart were connected by the irrigation canals that wound throught the cities.
3. Many villages grew into towns and cities.
4. The region of growing cities and towns was called Sumer, and its people were called Sumerians.
5. Cities located upriver can buiid new canals or block other cities' canals.
6. Mesopotamian plains provided no natural barriers for protection.
7. I think building a canal around your city will be the best solution because water will be your natural barrier and other cities won't be able to invade your city as easily as other cities with no barrier.
Assignment 2-1
Answer the following questions and define the vocabulary (if any) clearly and with details on your wiki page. Use the links above from the Class Activity to help you answer the questions.
Event A: Food Shortage
1. What helped the human population to grow in Mesopotamia?
2. What does cultivate mean?
3. By 5000 B.C.E. what major problem did the farmers in the Zagros hills have?
4. Using the choices in the critical thinking section of the activity, what is the best way to deal with the food shortage? Why?
1. The increased food stupply, sturdier shelters, and improved technology probably allowed the human population in Mesopotamia to grow.
2. Cultivate means to grow things, like crops.
3. By 5000 B.C.E, farmers in the Zagros foothills did not have enough land on which to frow food for the increaseing population.
4. I think the best solution is attacking the neighboring villages, but I don't think we have to steal their food. Why? Here, this is my plan. Since we have a huge number of population, we can first attack the weaker villages with fewer people and get our full strength back from resting and eating. Then, we can create a great, fierce army and we can conquer villages by villages, taking the control. Soon, we'll be ruling over a massive land and huge population of people, so before the conquered people plan a rebellion, we can make a treaty, that does something like this, 'If you give us 25% of your harvested crops each year, we will give you your land back and your freedom.' Then you'll be able to earn food each year, and doing nothing.
Event B: Uncontrolled Water Supply
1.In spring, irregular floods washed young plants and seedlings away. In summer, the sun baked the land stone-hard and destroyed any existing vegetation.
2. The farmers solved these problem probably by making levees on each side of the river, then making small paths like canal that can be connected to your field.
3. Rains and melted snow from the mountains flowed into the water, causing them the flood across the plain.
Assignment 9
Now that we are finished with the Early Humans unit, I would like you to reflect on what you have learned about Early Humans. Please complete these sentences clearly and with specific details. Write the answers on your wiki page.1. The single most important thing I learned was that everything started from being able to walk on two feet.
2. Something that confused me or that I didn't understand was how the Era's and the different species are connected.
3. What surprised me the most was that most big events and invention happened in just past few thousand years.
4. I would like to know more about the extinction of the other species(Australopithecus ,Homo habilis, Homo erectus).
5. The part that I think I will always remember was the ancient brain surgery, trepanation. How can I forget poking a hole in a person's head with just a rock. That's crazy! I still can't believe that they did such a thing and still survived.
Assignment 8
Use these two videos about Catal Huyuk to answer these questions clearly and completely on your wiki page.- Catal Huyuk video 1
- Catal Huyuk video 2
1. What are three things about daily life in Catal Huyuk that surprised you? Why did they surprise you?2. What are three things about daily life in Catal Huyuk you knew already from class?
3. Jookie is a 12 year old living in Catal Huyuk. Explain three ways her life is different than yours. (Note: Simply saying you have cell phones and she doesn't is an unacceptable answer.)
1. One thing that surprised me was the ancient brain surgery, trepanation. I don't know how the ancient people thought of the idea of poking a hole in a person's skull and amazingly, trepanation is still used now days, but in a bit more complex way. The second thing that I want to point out is that the people in Catal Huyuk started to care about wealth and power. I was surprised by this fact because their main focus wasn't surviving anymore, they fought for power and wealth, just like people nowadays. My last point is, the advanced architecture. Before I knew about the people in Catal Huyuk, I didn't really think about ancient architecture, but I realized that ancient people have much more sophisticated technology than I thought and they made solid hard buildings for their home out of clay bricks, which was quite amazing.
2. Well, people eventually started to domesticate animals and plants, which was a beginning of agriculture. Since people didn't have to worry about survival anymore, they started to develop special skills like pottery or painting. Then, people started to develop and use more sophisticated technology and eventually developed advanced architecture because they had more time to enrich their skill.
3. My day would be very different from Jookie's. While I'm in school, being educated, Jookie would be helping her mom, gathering plants and learning to survive. We'll also have different ways to have fun. For example, Jookie would usually play with her friends, outdoor exploring things, but me, I chat with friends and decorate my blog. I won't even have to move one step out of my chair. Well, since I don't move a lot compare to Jookie, I won't be as healthy as her because all I do is sit in my desk and go to academies, while Jookie is wandering around the forests and moving constantly.
Vocabulary:
Time lines
Other notes:
Assignment 7
Write 3 good test questions covering any of the topics we have studied so far.
1. Explain why learning to control fire is important.
2. Compare and contrast the life of Paleolithic people and Neolithic people.
3. Why do you think it took so long for people to develop agriculture?
Answer these questions clearly and completely on your wiki page.
1. What was the main difference between life in the Paleolithic period and life in the Neolithic period?
2. How did people's lives change as they began to domesticate plants and animals during the Neolithic period?
3. What are some advantages and disadvantages of the changes in daily life that occurred as a result of the development of agriculture?
1. The main difference is, in the Neolithic period, people started to domesticate animals and plants.
2. People no longer had to wander around searching for food and they could settle down in one place.
3. Advantages are, you have ample supply of food and you could trade with others. Some of the disadvantages are, you had to work hard to harvest and get enough food to last the whole winter.
Assignment 6
Use your online textbook (p. 40 & p. 41) to answer these questions clearly and completely. Please put your answers on your wiki page.1. Read the paragraph in the Beginnings of Agriculture section on p.40 and answer the question (How could this discovery change your life?).Read The First Farmers and Plants section on p.41 and answer these questions:
2. What is another name for the New Stone Age?
3. What kinds of tools did people make during this time? What do you think they used these tools for?
4. In the textbook it says that people during the Neolithic period could now make fire. Which hominid would this be?
5. When we changed from gathering food to growing food, historians called it the Neolithic Revolution. Why do you think it's called a revolution?
6. What is the definition for the word 'domestication'?
7. Using the map on p.41, which animals were domesticated in Asia?
8. Using the map on p.41, where was corn first domesticated?
9. If you were a farmer, how would your life be different than a hunter and gatherer. Give three ways your life would be different.
1. I think I'll start to gather different kinds of seeds and begin planting them, creating like a small farm. Since I don't have to search for food anymore, I'll settle there and eventually I'll have time to improve my skills and discover new things.
2. Neolithic Era
3. They made saws and drills and probably used them to cut woods and gather foods.
4. Homo Erectus
5. I think it's called revolution because revolution means 'a sudden, complete or marked change in something' and I think learning to grow food was a huge change for the people.
6. The process of changing plants or animals to make them more useful to humans is called domestication.
7. Cattle, sheep, goat, horse were domesticated in Asia.
8. Corn was first domesticated in Central America.
9. If I'm a farmer, I won't have to wander around looking for food and I'll have ample amount of food to eat. Also, if I can, I'll be able to trade with others because I'll have plentiful supply of food left for me to use for trading.
Assignment 5
Read pages 32-34 from your online textbook and answer these questions clearly and in complete sentences on your wiki page.- They need archaeologists and anthropologists to study prehistory because there is no written history, so we have to rely on the things that archaeologists and anthropologists find.
- They had two arms that are left to do more things.
- They used tools like spears and hand axes.
- My tool will be a thin, curved stone attached to a long wood stick. This will be useful for getting something that you can't reach with your hand.
- Hunter-gatherers are people who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive.
- Development of language made trading and sharing easily because before, people couldn't communicate so they probably had hard time understanding others.
7.Assignment 4 Please read pages 29 & 30 from your online textbook and answer these questions clearly and in complete sentences on your wiki page.
1. On which continent were Lucy and other hominids found?
2. What is the scientific name of Lucy?
3. How long ago did Lucy live?
4. What was an important step in human development?
5. Describe and explain how these hominids are different from each other. Use the charts about the hominids on page 30 to help you with the answer.
Make sure your answer is clear and detailed.
6. Which hominid are you?
1. Lucy and other hominids were found in the Africa.
2. The scientific name of Lucy is Australopithecus.
3. Lucy live more than 3 million years ago.
4. The important step in human history was being able to walk in two feet.
5.
6. We are Homo sapiens.
Assignment 3
Human Origins-The Puppet Play Project ResponseAnswer the following questions on your wiki page.
1. What were your roles in the 'Creation of a Puppet Show' project?
2. What Problems did your group run into?
3. How did your group deal with these problems?
4. Identify two similarities between all of the origin stories.
5. Compare and Contrast any of the two origin stories presented in class (at least one paragraph)
1. I was the script manager.
2. We didn't really had any big problems, but we ran into small problems like while we were getting our puppets ready and when we had to practice acting.
3. We got over with it pretty fast because it wasn't a huge problem or something.
4. First, we were all created by gods or goddesses. Second, they are all myths.
5. The two stories that I'm going to compare and contrast are the Greek origin story and the Chinese origin story. These two origin stories had a lot of differences and similarities. First, I'll start with the similarity. In the greek story, humans were made of clay and also, in the Chinese story, humans were made of clay. Now the difference. In the Chinese story, Noah made all the humans by herself but in the greek story, humans were created by a lot of people.
Assignment 2
Just like the questions you were asked in class, please create five questions about the timeline we used in class.1. How many events happened between 3000 B.C.E to 2000 C.E?
2. What is the last event on the time line? Give the exact date.
3. Which century had most events?
4. List all the events that happened in the nineteenth century.
5. How many events happened between 20,000 B.C.E to 10,000 B.C.E?
1. 11 events
2. Color TV invented in 1950 C.E
3. The nineteenth century
4. Lightbulb invented in 1879 C.E, Telephone invented in 1876 C.E, Automobile invented in 1893 C.E
5. 4 events
Assignment 1
Using your notes and page 4 from your online textbook, answer the following questions on your wiki page.1. Were you born in a BCE year or an CE year?
2. Put the following dates in order: AD 2000, 3100 BC, 15 BCE, AD 476, AD 3, CE 1215
3. If you read that an event happened c. AD 1000, what would that mean? Type in the content of your page here.
1. I was born in a CE year.
2. 3100 BC, 15 BCE, AD 3, AD 476, AD 2000, CE 1215
3. It means that it's 'about' AD 1000.